“You don’t often get to pose with Santa with a gun so I thought it was a great opportunity to have one taken to send to my family and friends,” Daniel Jespersen, 25, of Atlanta, told FoxNews.com.

Justin Hosp, 32, of Alpharetta was smiling as he posed for a picture with Santa while holding an AR-15. The photo also included his 12-year-old daughter, Ella.

“It was fun, I enjoyed it,” the girl said, while confessing that she did not ask Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

The suburban Atlanta gun club furnished the guns. They were all inspected, unloaded and deactivated for safety precautions. No one under 18 was allowed to hold a gun in the photo shoot with Santa.

The gun club asked participants to bring canned food or cash to donate to a local food pantry.

“We wanted to do something to get into the holiday spirit and give back to the community,” owner Robyn workman Marzullo told FoxNews.com.

Marzullo told MyFox Atlanta Friday, the day before the event, that the gun club was not trying to send any message.

“I think it’s important to note Santa goes to the mall,” she said. “He goes to car dealerships. He goes to sporting events and Santa’s coming here to see our customers. So we just happen to be a gun club and range.

The event was billed to last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. But Marzullo said it was extended an hour due to the response.

She said several hundred people took the opportunity to grab a firearm photos with Santa.

Mike Gilmartin, of Brookhaven, posed for his photo with Santa with two friends.

“This is just a real cool opportunity to get a ridiculous picture with Santa Claus,” he said.